Three hikers dead after Indonesia’s Mount Dukono volcano erupts

Two Singaporeans and a local person were in no-go zone when they were killed, say officials Three hikers – two Singaporeans and an Indonesian – have died in an eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Dukono volcano, where they found themselves in a no-go zone, officials said. The eruption, on Halmahera island, sent an ash cloud about 6 miles (10km) into the air, with no towns or villages near enough to face any immediate threat. Twenty hikers were on the slopes when disaster struck, the North Halmahera police chief, Erlichson Pasaribu, told reporters at a volcano monitoring station in Mamuya village. Nine were from Singapore and the rest Indonesian. “To date, 15 climbers have safely descended,” Erlichson said several hours after the early-morning eruption. The bodies of the dead hikers were still on the mountain, he said, without elaborating on the whereabouts of the remaining two. “Due to ongoing eruptions, the situation is still considered unsafe for evacuation. So, the joint team is still waiting for the right time to begin the search,” Erlichson said. Some of the hikers had minor injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment. The group’s guide and a porter were taken